Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing telecommunications services between a session initiation protocol (SIP) network and a signaling system 7 (SS7) network

• US 20060209791A1
• Filed: 03/21/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tekelec, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tekelec
• Inventors: Nair, Vikram, Benedyk, Robby D., Khadri, Seetharaman
• Granted Patent: US 7,856,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42297 with number portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/127 where the session control protocols comprise SIP and SS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13339 Ciphering, encryption, security
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13348 Channel/line reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0025 Provisions for signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing telecommunication services between a SIP network and an SS7 network are disclosed. In one method, SIP/SS7 gateway receives an INVITE message from a SIP proxy server. The SIP/SS7 gateway extracts a called party number from the INVITE message and determines whether a telecommunications service is required and a type of service required for the INVITE message based on the called party number. The SIP/SS7 gateway then formulates an SS7 query to a database corresponding to the identified service type. The SIP/SS7 gateway receives a response from the database and uses data from the response to facilitate completion of the call. In one example, the SIP/SS7 gateway may forward a routing number extracted from the response back to the originating SIP proxy server. In another example, the SIP/SS7 gateway may generate a new INVITE message and forward the new INVITE message to a terminating SIP proxy server. In yet another example, the SIP/SS7 gateway may formulate a second query to the same database or to a different database to obtain further information for facilitate completion of the call.

Claims

1. A method for providing telecommunications services in a session initiation protocol (SIP)/SS7 environment, the method comprising:

at a SIP/SS7 gateway;

(a) receiving a SIP INVITE message relating to a call from an originating SIP proxy server, the INVITE message including a called party number;

(b) determining, based on the called party number, a type of telecommunications service required for the call;

(c) formulating an SS7 query to a database based on the identified type of service for the call;

(d) receiving a response from the database to the query; and

(e) extracting data from the response and data to facilitate completion of the call.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a SIP INVITE message includes receiving a SIP INVITE message without any extension headers identifying the type of service required for the call.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein using the data extracted from the response to facilitate completion of the call includes forwarding the data to the originating SIP proxy.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein using the data extracted from the response to facilitate completion of the call includes generating an INVITE message based on the data extracted from the response and forwarding the INVITE message to a terminating SIP proxy.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein using the data extracted from the response to facilitate completion of the call includes performing a second query to the SS7 network using the data from the response and receiving a response to the second query.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the second query comprises a local number portability (LNP) query and wherein using the data from the response to facilitate completion of the call include extracting a directory number (DN) from the response to the LNP query and forwarding the DN to the originating SIP proxy server.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein forwarding the DN to the originating SIP proxy server includes indicating to the originating SIP proxy that a number portability database lookup has been performed.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising, in response to receiving the INVITE message, determining whether a telecommunications service is required and wherein performing steps (b)-(e) includes performing steps (b)-(e) only in response to determining that a telecommunications service is required.

9. The method of claim 8 comprising, in response to determining that a telecommunications services not required, signaling to complete the call with a destination entity.

10. A method for providing toll free calling and number portability translation services in a session initiation protocol (SIP)/SS7 network environment, the method comprising:

at a SIP/SS7 gateway;

(a) receiving a SIP INVITE message relating to a call from a SIP proxy server, the INVITE message including a called party number;

(b) determining whether the SIP INVITE message requires toll free calling service;

(c) in response to determining that the SIP INVITE message requires toll free calling service, formulating a query to a first database to determine a routing number corresponding to the called party number;

(d) receiving a response from the first database including the routing number;

(e) formulating a number portability query to a second database to determine a directory number corresponding to the routing number;

(f) receiving a response from the second database including the directory number; and

(g) using the directory number to facilitate completion of the call.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving a SIP INVITE message includes receiving a SIP INVITE message without an extension header identifying a type of service required for the call.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein using the directory number to facilitate completion of the call includes formulating a SIP REDIRECT message including the directory number and forwarding the REDIRECT message to the originating SIP proxy server.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein using the directory number to facilitate completion of the call includes formulating a second INVITE message including the directory number and forwarding the second INVITE message to a terminating SIP proxy server.

14. The method of claim 10 comprising communicating the number portability lookup status for the directory number to the originating SIP proxy server.

15. A SIP/SS7 gateway comprising:

(a) a SIP interface for receiving a SIP INVITE message relating to call from a SIP proxy server, the SIP INVITE message including a called party number;

(b) an interworking unit for determining a type of telecommunications service required for the call based on the called party number for requesting a query based on the identified service type; and

(c) a database interface for receiving the request and for formulating an SS7 query to a database and obtaining a response to the query, wherein the interworking unit is adapted to extract data from the response and use the data to facilitate completion of the call.

16. The SIP/SS7 gateway of claim 15 wherein the interworking unit is adapted to determine the service type based on the INVITE message without requiring an extension header identifying the service type to be present in the INVITE message.

17. The SIP/SS7 gateway of claim 15 wherein the query comprises a number portability query and wherein the interworking unit is adapted to communicate a number portability lookup status indicating that a number portability lookup has been performed to the originating SIP proxy server.

18. The SIP/SS7 gateway of claim 15 wherein the query comprises a toll free query to obtain a first routing number and wherein the interworking unit is adapted to formulate a number portability query using the routing number extracted from the toll free query response.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the interworking unit is adapted to forward the data extracted from the query to the originating SIP proxy server.

20. The SIP/SS7 gateway of claim 15 wherein the interworking unit is adapted to generate a new INVITE message including the data extracted from the response and forward the new INVITE message to a terminating SIP proxy server.

21. The SIP/SS7 gateway of claim 15 wherein the interworking unit is adapted to determine whether a telecommunications service is required for the call.

22. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium for performing steps comprising:

at a SIP/SS7 gateway;

(a) receiving a SIP INVITE message relating to a call from an originating SIP proxy server, the INVITE message including a called party number;

(b) determining, based on the called party number, a type of telecommunications service required for the call;

(c) formulating an SS7 query to a database based on the identified type of service for the call;

(d) receiving a response from the database to the query; and

(e) extracting data from the response and using the data to facilitate completion of the call.

23. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein receiving a SIP INVITE message includes receiving a SIP INVITE message without any extension headers identifying the type of service required for the call.

24. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein using the data extracted from the response to facilitate completion of the call includes forwarding the data to the originating SIP proxy.

25. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein using the data extracted from the response to facilitate completion of the call includes generating an INVITE message based on the data extracted from the response and forwarding the INVITE message to a terminating SIP proxy.

26. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein using the data extracted from the response to facilitate completion of the call includes performing a second query to the SS7 network using the data from the response and receiving a response to the second query.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the second query comprises an LNP query and wherein using the data from the response to facilitate completion of the call includes extracting a directory number from the response to the LNP query and forwarding the directory number to the originating SIP proxy server.

28. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein forwarding the directory number to the originating SIP proxy includes indicating to the originating SIP proxy server that a number portability database lookup has been performed.

29. The computer program product of claim 22 comprising, in response to receiving the INVITE message, determining whether a telecommunications service is required and wherein performing steps (b)-(e) includes performing steps (b)-(e) only in response to determining that a telecommunications service is required.

30. The computer program product of claim 29 comprising, in response to determining that a telecommunications services not required, signaling to complete the call with a destination entity.

31. The computer program product of claim 30 wherein signaling to complete the call with a destination entity includes determining whether the destination entity is an SS7 or a SIP destination.

32. The computer program product of claim 31 comprising, in response to determining that the destination entity is a SIP destination, forwarding an INVITE message to the SIP destination.